The U.S. patent application Ser. No. 835,235, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,134 describes a method for preparing cured shaped meat products wherein meat products such as hams or picnics, after deboning and injecting brine therein, are stored in a container wherein they are subjected to a stirring movement, whereafter the thus treated meat products are further finished, e.g. canned and heated.
This method constituted a great improvement relative to methods which were previously used, wherein the meat had had to be treated in a rigorously operating mixing apparatus or rotary churn, usually in vacuum. The method using a stirring operation not only permits an important simplification of the prior treating process, but, moreover, products of considerably better quality are obtained. This is the reason why the above-mentioned method has found wide acceptance in many contries within a very short time.
According to the U.S. Pat. application No. 3,775,134 the stirring operation may be carried out continuously or intermittently and according to the example described in that application the stirring takes place for 5 minutes per hour during 24 hours. In practice shorter durations of treatment may now and then suffice, e.g. about 18 hours. For carrying out the method an open container is used having stirring means therein which may be usually connected to the container. In all embodiments marketed up until now, this stirring means comprises a vertical shaft having secured to it in perpendicular relation one or more stirring blades, usually three or four, which are offset in angular position and in height with respect to each other. Of course a driving mechanism is connected for the stirring means and the assembly is usually provided with a time switch mechanism so that the stirring means is switched into operation at predetermined points of time and operates during a predetermined period of time. The stirring treatment is carried out at a moderate rate of speed, usually 20-30 revolutions per minute. This treatment does not substantially increase the temperature of the meat.
Notwithstanding the commercial success of this method using prior apparatus not all desired products can be manufactured thereby. Generally hams and picnics, which are canned or packed in some other way in molded form, are sold in three qualities, i.e. without fat and rind, with fat and without rind, and with fat and rind. The above discussed method can only be carried out with hams and picnics stripped of fat and rind by cutting these off and this means that only the most expensive quality of said products can be prepared by this method. For other qualities, up until now one had to go back to the older methods with churning or the like (U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,713) which are much more troublesome.